A Congressman Called Men Paying for Maternity Care "Crazy" — and This Woman's Response Went Viral

During a town hall on May 8th, Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa), who voted in favor of the GOP repeal of the Affordable Care Act, took a couple of minutes to explain what he’d like to further cut from health care as it stands. In his speech, he stated that he'd like to “get rid of of some of the crazy regulations that Obamacare has put in, such as a 62-year-old male having to have pregnancy insurance" — implying that people shouldn’t have to pay for things they don’t use, and specifically targeting women’s health care. The crowd did not receive his suggestions kindly, the Washington Postreports. Boos from the crowd could be heard and many folks spoke up, asking questions or voicing their anger to the representative.

One person who didn’t speak up that night, however, was Barbara Rank, a retired special education teacher living in Dubuque, Iowa. Although she didn’t have a question or statement for Representative Blum on the night of the town hall, she certainly had something to say the next day: She wrote a letter titled “Why should I pay indeed?” in response to Blum and sent it to a local paper for publication. The letter's 96 words amounted to a rebuttal of the idea that people should only help pay for services they themselves use, and the letter has since gone viral.

In it, Rank writes, “Why should I pay for a flower I won’t smell, a park I don’t visit, or art I can’t appreciate? Why should I pay the salaries of politicians I didn’t vote for, a tax cut that doesn’t affect me, or a loophole I can’t take advantage of? It’s called democracy, a civil society, the greater good. That’s what we pay for.” Thousands of people across social media, including Reddit and Twitter, agreed with the sentiment and found Rank's expression of it powerful.

A spokesman for Blum has since responded in an email to the Telegraph Herald, saying, “He was referring to the idea of patients being able to choose health insurance policies that fit their needs, rather than one-size-fits-all policies filled with government mandates. Obviously, he understands that taxes pay for things that not everybody uses.” Whatever Blum was or wasn't referring to, Rank’s letter is still attracting attention as an elegant response.